The Heroic Return
by ACM a.k.a. Annie May
Summary: Finally complete! Sasuke returns to the village a hero after an absence of ten years at the palace of Orochimaru. A hero? Shikamaru seems to be the only one who has a problem with that concept.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: A Hero to the Village of Konoha

Today was unlike any other day in Konoha, with the possible exception of the inauguration of the last Hokage. The entire town had shown up to see if the rumors were true, and to hear the truth from the ruling council. The air was thick with anticipation as the tall, attractive blonde approached the balcony. Tsunade cleared her throat.

"I wish to announce that Uchiha Sasuke has successfully completed the undercover mission he was assigned ten years ago. He has returned to the village and has provided us with valuable information which we believe will bring the undoing of Orochimaru! Uchiha Sasuke is today to be recognized not only as a citizen in good standing but also as a hero to the village of Konoha!"

The majority of the crowd errupted into cheers. The older jounin of the village gave Tsunade resigned, knowing glances. Sakura fainted and Hinata had to catch her. Naruto was jumping up and down with a mixture of excitement at the return of his friend, anger at not having been informed about the undercover mission, and jealousy as hearing _Sasuke_ called a hero. Ino was staring at Tsunade with a mixture of guilt and delight, while gripping Chouji's right hand, hard. Chouji, indignant, fumbled with his left hand in his pocket in search of a candy bar. Amid all the fuss in the crowd, Tsunade's attention was on only one person, who was acting in a very uncharacteristic way, but whose reaction was exactly as Tsunade had predicted. Shikamaru was staring directly into her eyes with a look that clearly read, "We'll talk about this later."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: The Ninja in Hiding

Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Kiba and Chouji (the last two dragged by their respective girlfriends) had gone immediately following the speech to visit Sasuke in the hospital, where, Kakashi had explained, he was recovering from damage taken fighting the various assassins Orochimaru had sent to pursue him as he fled to Konoha. This of course had only made Sasuke seem _more_ attractive and _more_ in need of the female touch, which Kiba and Chouji, especially Chouji, found _more_ and _more _annoying. It didn't help that on the way to the hospital Sakura and Ino started arguing over who deserved to nurse Sasuke, and that Sakura had to _remind _Ino that she already had a boyfriend! Chouji was even starting to eat because he was nervous, which was of course in addition to eating because he was always hungry, eating because he needed his strength, and eating to show his solidarity with other big-boned people. Kiba couldn't decide which was more repulsive, Chouji, beside him, eating four times more rapidly than usual or the two girls behind him squabbling while poor Hinata attempted to keep either of them from loosing any hair or limbs at the hands of the other. Kiba glanced at Akamaru, who also seemed to be at the end of his rope, and decided it was time to start up a rousing round of the quiet game, which is even more fun when you're ninjas, and sneaking around quietly is your job.

The five jounin would have asked Tsunade, rather than Kakashi, about Sasuke's whereabouts, but by the time they had revived Sakura, she was nowhere to be found. In fact, immediately following her speech, Tsunade had darted back inside the palace of the Hokage, sprinted to her office, locked the door, and set up a number of Konohamaru-style, although slightly more sophisticated, booby-traps to catch anyone who attempted entry.

She had scarcely poured the sake when Shikamaru entered through her window. Startled, she gave him an incredulous look. He looked perturbed.

"It was troublesome having to climb up here, and more troublesome to get past the guards surrounding the perimeter, so please don't make me additionally explain the methods of analysis which I used in order to determine that your improvisational security would be weakest at this particular point."

Tsunade sighed and held her head. She didn't even look up when Shikamaru stood over her, his palms resting on the desk in front of her.

"Is it true that Sasuke is back?"

"Yes," she said faintly.

"And is it true that he gave you information about Orochimaru?"

"Yes."

"And is it true that I should consider him a hero now?"

Tsunade hesitated, then whispered, "Yes."

Shikamaru slammed his fist down on the table, both the noise and the rare display of anger startling Tsunade so much that she looked up from her drink and stared into Shikamaru's eyes with childlike fear.

"Dammit, Godaime, am I supposed to believe that? Am I supposed to believe that Sasuke was actually on an undercover mission all this time, and that you sent us all to sacrifice our lives at the age of twelve, pursuing him to keep up your charade?"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"You are shinobi. It's what you do."

"Don't lecture me now, Tsunade. You're only saying that to gloss over an unpleasant possibility. Of course, as I analyze the situation, I find that there is only one other logical possibility. And that is that Sasuke was _not_ on an undercover mission. That he really left the village and that he has decided of his own accord to return and beg for forgiveness. And that you, caving to political pressure and desperate to salvage the dignity of our fallen village, granted amnesty to a dangerous criminal in exchange for information and his silence about what really happened. And now you get to declare that this was all your idea in the first place, and that Uchiha Sasuke is not a traitor, but a hero!"

Tsunade stood up and slapped Shikamaru.

"Get the hell out of my office or get demoted back to chunin level!" she screamed.

"I won't do that. For all my laziness and indifference, I do have integrity."

Ashamed, Tsunade sunk back into her chair and poured herself more to drink.

"Fine. You're right. What else do you want me to say?"

"I want you to accept my resignation from service."

Shikamaru placed a sheet of paper on Tsunade's desk, walked casually back to the window, and leapt to the grounds below.


	3. Chapter 3

To the people who have reviewed so far: 1. I hope you are happy. Naruto is having some doubts about Sasuke here, although he is generally inclined to believe what Tsunade has said. Yes, he is smarter at this age, but he also maintains an almost blind faith in the goodness of those around him. 2. Have faith in Shikamaru. We'll see what happens.

Chapter 3: Missing Person

Sasuke groaned as he was rudely awakened by a hard tap on the shoulder. Shizune, who had been simultaneously guarding and nursing him since his return, said gruffly, "Uchiha-san, you have visitors."

Squinting and finally opening his eyes completely, Sasuke was greeted by a crowd which included several familiar faces: two overly energetic, one timid, and two fairly indifferent.

One person, he noted, was conspicuously absent.

Scarcely had Tsunade collected her thoughts when there came an insistent pounding at her door.

"I locked it for a reason!" she growled.

There was a flash of blue, which Tsunade later realized must have been a very gentle, controlled Rasengan, which cause the doorknob to fly in a perfect spiral, straight at her head. She caught it and looked ahead just in time to see Naruto dodging a barrage of kunai that had been launched at his head the moment he set foot inside the office. Having cleared this and various other obstacles, Naruto collected his dignity and approached the Hokage's desk.

"Tsunade no Baa-chan! Why didn't you tell me about the secret mission? Why didn't I get to go on a secret mission? I wanted to kill Orochimaru as much as anyone else! Is Sasuke really back? Is Sasuke really on our side? How can you be sure? He's been gone so long!"

Tsunade waited for Naruto to pause for breath. Seeing that he was about to begin another tirade, she quickly covered his mouth. She gave his surprised expression a long, serious look, then took her hand away.

"Naruto, you are Sasuke's best friend. You deserve to know the truth about what happened, but it is not up to me to tell you. You have already heard what I have to say on the subject. If you want to know more, go ask Sasuke yourself."

Naruto opened his mouth as though to say that this answer was unsatisfactory, but closed it again. Once again assuming a childlike pout, he stomped out of the office and set off in the direction of the Konoha Hospital, where all good shinobi ended up after a difficult mission.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: The Obligatory Cloud-Watching Scene

Clouds. Shikamaru was very well acquainted with them. Therefore, it was very easy for him to tell when a storm was approaching. And this was going to be a bad one.

"What the hell!"

Ino suddenly appeared standing over him, dragging a reluctant, chip-munching Chouji behind her.

"What's this I hear? You're quitting the ninja life?"

Shikamaru tried to look past her, to the softer, white clouds, but the dark storm brewing directly above him completely obscured them from view. Sighing, he at last met her eyes.

"Yes," he said simply and turned his gaze to Chouji, watching his hand bring each chip to his mouth where it was quickly crushed into fragments, some of which scattered over the front of his shirt while the majority were sucked down his throat. It was a finely tuned system and could be quite enthralling at a time like this. Thus, Shikamaru heard little of the ensuing rant from Ino. When he noticed it had gotten quiet, he turned his gaze once again to her expectant face.

"Ino, my laziness is legendary. Did you really think I'd be a ninja for life?"

This earned Shikamaru a stunned look with the beginnings of another rant behind it, but this one was staved off by the intervention of Chouji.

"Ino-chan, please let me talk to Shikamaru alone," he said in an uncharacteristically firm voice.

Indignant, Ino huffed off in the direction she had come. When she was out of site, Chouji lay down in the grass next to his friend.

"This isn't about laziness."

Shikamaru smirked.

"How do you know?"

Chouji shrugged and kept his gaze on a cloud above him, which he thought vaguely resembled the mark left by Ino's fist on anything that got in her way.

"It's not."

After a few moments, Shikamaru turned to his friend, his look now more serious.

"I don't believe Sasuke is a hero."

Chouji looked slightly surprised but said nothing. He knew it was best to hear his friend out.

"I saw the way the older Jounin looked at Tsunade, like they regretted but accepted her decision. I spoke to Tsunade about my suspicions and she didn't say anything to deny them. Chouji, what I think happened is that Sasuke got scared, came back to the village begging for forgiveness, and Tsunade decided it would be better for appearances if we pretended that Sasuke had been gone on a mission and that we were now much closer to catching Orochimaru. Neither of those things is true."

Chouji thought for a moment, then rolled over onto his side to face Shikamaru.

"Even if Sasuke was evil, he might have valuable information for us. And Tsunade will definitely be guarding him."

"That's true. But he may also give us bad information…he might even be here on Orochimaru's orders. Think about it Chouji! He's in the hospital wing now, with a few scratches, apparently because he just barely escaped Orochimaru's assassins. Now, from what I understand, when Orochimaru wants you dead, you don't stay alive very long."

"But, Naruto—"

"Naruto has_ barely _escaped with his life several times…but he came out of those fights with a lot more than a few scratches."

Chouji nodded his agreement.

"So, what do you plan to do?"

Shikamaru's eyes were now deadly serious.

"I left the service for two reasons. First, as a sign of protest. I lost a lot of respect for Tsunade today and I don't want to be under her orders unless she regains my respect. Second, I don't want to have any missions. I want to be able to go it alone for a while."

"Meaning?"

"I'm going to keep an eye on Sasuke, secretly, so that I will be there for the first sign that his loyalties are not to Konoha. Tsunade may have posted guards outside his door but it's what he does inside that room that counts."

A look of determined understanding formed on Chouji's face.

"I'll resign too. I'll come with you."

Shikamaru grabbed onto one of Chouji's shoulders.

"No. I appreciate it, but…I might need someone on the inside for this one."

Chouji nodded his understanding.

"Whenever you need me, let me know."

With that, he left Shikamaru still lying in the grass, the usual lazy expression on his face, behind which Chouji knew brilliant plans were being formed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: A Blade in the Darkness

Thankfully, the crowd of visitors had departed from Sasuke's room several hours ago. Now there was only darkness, and quiet. Sasuke appreciated that. It had been a long time since he had heard real quiet, the peaceful kind without the echoing screams of the long-dead woven into it. The only sound came from outside the door, where a bored guard was absent-mindedly tapping his kunai on the floor. Sasuke could live with that. Even though he knew the guard was most likely more concerned with his not escaping than with his not being attacked, it gave him an odd sensation, something unrecognizable but comforting, the long-forgotten feeling of security. Sasuke closed his eyes and began to doze.

Suddenly a soft rustle of cloth near his left ear gave him a start. Silently he leapt from the bed and within a second his attacker was pinned to the wall, the tip of a kunai pressed to his heart while his throat was restrained by Sasuke's other hand.

Waiting a moment to impress his strength upon his attacker, he slowly slid his hand from the man's throat to the edge of his black mask and lifted it to reveal a pair of brilliant blue eyes.

"Naruto!" Sasuke whispered, aghast, and suddenly completely unaware of what he was doing. Naruto, equally startled, regained his composure and pressed gently against the wrist still holding the kunai to his heart. Embarrassed, Sasuke withdrew both of his hands and stood back to look upon the person he had missed most all these years.

"Sasuke…you've changed."

The statement expressed exactly what was in Naruto's mind but sounded so stupidly obvious when he said it that he looked away in shame.

Sasuke smirked, trying to feign comfort and familiarity.

"Not that much, dobe."

Naruto clenched his fist, annoyed by the false pretense behind Sasuke's statement. He looked Sasuke directly in the eye.

"Look, I came here because…because…I still don't trust you. I know what Tsunade said and what they want us to believe…but you had better prove that you're really back on our side…you'd better not hurt me…us…the village like that again."

Naruto's voice wavered a bit but then gained a threatening tone.

"If you betray us again, I'll definitely defeat you!"

Naruto's eyes blazed red momentarily. It was as Sasuke had expected; Naruto had obviously gained much greater control over the kyuubi's powers in this much time. Although he had himself become stronger, he was not eager for another fight with Naruto. Neither of them needed to be hurt like that again.

Naruto remained staring into Sasuke's eyes for a long moment. Finally he turned and left silently by the window through which he had come.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: The Right-Hand Man

Gritting her teeth, Tsunade knocked timidly on the door. After a pause of nearly thirty seconds, Shikamaru opened it. He was dressed in his usual outfit, showing that he had indeed been awake and merely felt no hurry to answer the door. He wore an expression that Tsunade could not read; it showed either boredom or skepticism.

"What do you want?"

Tsunade's expression became determined, then faded to timidity.

"I…need your help."

Shikamaru smirked and made as if to close the door but Tsunade stopped him by placing her hand on his cheek. The tenderness of the gesture was enough to capture his full attention.

"Shikamaru-kun, practically since the day you became a chuunin, you've been my right-hand man. We've always discussed strategy. I made a big mistake not letting you in on my plans regarding Sasuke in advance and when you came to my office I was too shocked and too timid to say anything. Please listen to me now."

Shikamaru's face showed that he was considering her words carefully. Tsunade's hand lightly stroked his cheek and then moved downwards to grip his right shoulder, hard. Shikamaru's usually bland expression turned to one of surprise.

"It's been three weeks since I was forced to accept your resignation. Despite the claims of others, I know that you haven't been treating this time as a vacation. You've been investigating for yourself and I'm certain that you and I have reached the same conclusion: Orochimaru is planning a second attack on the village with the help of Sasuke as an undercover agent."

Shikamaru's eyes widened in shock. Tsunade sighed.

"I can see that I owe you an explanation. When Sasuke returned to the village, I felt that I had no choice but to accept his apology and offer him forgiveness. I did this for two reasons. One was so that I could keep tabs on Orochimaru through him, if indeed his pledge of loyalty to Konoha was not genuine."

Shikamaru looked a little sheepish at this remark. Tsunade looked off to the left for a moment, then returned her gaze to him, her resignation showing in her posture.

"The other reason, which you so astutely pointed out in my office, was that I considered this an opportunity to rebuild the reputation of the village. To my credit, however, I did assume that we would be able to do this not only through the village's acceptance of…my…lie…but also through the defeat of Orochimaru, using information provided willingly or unwillingly by Sasuke. However, I did not tell you any of this in my office, because when you confronted me and criticized my dishonesty, I felt unsure of myself. I must say I am unaccustomed to such harsh criticism from you and I was quite taken aback."

Shikamaru's usual bored expression returned, which Tsunade knew was a good sign. It meant he had accepted what she had said and was ready to move forward. Tsunade was seized by the desire to kiss his forehead, but the very thought of Shikamaru's reaction made her want to laugh, so that she had to bite her lip before saying her next words.

"Okay. Now I need to discuss strategy with you once again. I'll see you in my office in ten minutes."

With that, Tsunade walked away. There was no need to look for a reaction from Shikamaru. She knew him well and she knew what he meant to say even when he said nothing at all.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: The Plan

A knock sounded at Tsunade's office door. She looked up from her papers, smirking.

"Come in."

To her great surprise, the visitor was not Shikamaru, but Shizune. Tsunade frowned and waited for Shizune's explanation.

"Tsunade-sama, Uchiha Sasuke wishes to speak with you."

Tsunade raised her eyebrows in surprise, then said gruffly, "Let him in."

Shizune opened the door further to reveal Sasuke, who entered, followed by two guards. Tsunade nodded to him and then ordered the others to wait outside. Shizune made a small sound of protest, which she quickly stifled seeing the look on Tsunade's face, and quietly followed the guards out of the office, shutting the door behind her. Tsunade sat up straighter in her chair and rested her chin on her hands, obviously waiting for Sasuke to speak. Sasuke looked away for a moment, in a way that recalled his earlier, more arrogant days, then finally looked directly into Tsunade's eyes.

"I came here to kill Naruto."

Tsunade was extremely surprised by the confession but she bit her lip and attempted to return the severity in his eyes.

"I came here to kill Naruto…to assassinate him in his sleep, quickly, before he even had the chance to reach for a kunai..."

Sasuke paused for a moment and gulped. The sound of his words threw into sharp relief the harsh reality of the situation.

"Orochimaru…he knows that Akatsuki is after Naruto…and he knows what will happen if they get him. He also knows that Naruto and I were close before I left Konoha. He knows that I can affect him, that I can make him trust me, that I can get close to him again…that I can kill him."

Tsunade's mouth twitched. Sasuke's gaze did not falter.

"I am aware that this could be a suicide mission," he said grimly, looking at his right hand which was clenched into a fist.

"It doesn't matter. Either way, one of us will be eliminated. One less threat to Orochimaru's power gone."

Tsunade suddenly realized that Kabuto was likely influential in the creation of this plan.

"Naruto has come to visit me several times. We have nearly resumed our friendship. The plan was working beautifully, but…when I saw him again for the first time I remembered the way things used to be…I…I…"

Sasuke's voice became choked and he stopped speaking.

Tsunade sighed heavily and focused her eyes on a blot of ink in the upper left corner of her desk. Without looking up, she began, in a deadly serious voice, "You understand what this means."

Sasuke looked up and nodded solemnly. Tsunade looked into his eyes, narrowing her own.

"We are going to kill you."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I am trying hard to write longer chapters. I have to confess that I sort of like the shorter ones at times, like this one, when I want to create a bit of suspense and confusion. So, here is what will probably be the second-to-last chapter of The Heroic Return. –ACM a.k.a. Annie May

Chapter 8: The Sight of Death

Shikamaru sighed as he took the cup that Tsunade offered. It had been a hell of a mission. A more-or-less successful one but a hellish one nonetheless. No further concern over Sasuke's intentions or Sasuke's whereabouts or Sasuke in general. Target eliminated; mission accomplished. What Shikamaru had failed to anticipate, as had many others on countless occasions prior to this one, was the involvement of Naruto.

_From his hiding place in the bushes, Shikamaru winced as a bright flash of light brought the battle to an end. His stomach churned with revulsion has he examined the bodies. There was nothing he could do for the two fallen fighters, who lay side by side on charred ground. This scene was very similar to the aftermath of that fight so many years ago, with one important difference: this fight had come out a draw. The two lay lifeless, burned and broken and torn to pieces, each hardly bearing any further resemblance to the human form, and neither the kyuubi's healing nor the innumerable powers of the sharingan could restore them. The two had fallen by each other's hands, as had been predetermined and as should have been expected. Shikamaru gritted his teeth in preparation, and gave the signal he had hoped never to have to give. Within seconds the bodies were surrounded by a team of masked ANBU agents, who nodded solemnly and then lifted the bodies onto their shoulders and disappeared. _

Shikamaru's stomach clenched again as he recalled the scene and he set down his cup. This mission had been perhaps his most difficult, due to its emotional cost. He had had to do what ninjas dread most, deliberately fail to save a friend, for the sake of achieving a goal. When he took up his post he had hoped that such a thing would never be asked of him. But today…

Shikamaru's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in," said Tsunade gruffly.

A figure dressed in a black costume that included a strangely shaped hood entered and approached Tsunade's desk. He bowed and placed a paper on her desk but said nothing, staring into her eyes as he awaited her response.

Tsunade's eyes briefly skimmed the paper before she replied, "Thank you. Give my regards to your brother."

Bowing once again, this time with an expression that Shikamaru could have sworn contained the faintest trace of either arrogance or amusement, the man turned and took his leave. As the door closed, Shikamaru closed his eyes and took up his cup once again.

Elsewhere in the world, a messenger informed Orochimaru that the mission had been successful and had resulted in only two casualties, that of Sasuke and of the agent monitoring his progress. To the messenger's great surprise, Orochimaru merely stared at him. Gradually his mouth stretched into an enormous grin and he began to laugh uncontrollably. The messenger saw Orochimaru's hand shoot out toward his neck, and then saw nothing else.

Shikamaru took a deep swig of his sake and reclined a bit in his chair as another knock sounded.

"Yes?" called Tsunade.

Sakura walked in slowly, her face stained with tears. She composed herself a bit and then said in a shaky voice, "Sensei, they're ready."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: The Aftermath

Sakura sighed as she led Shikamaru and Tsunade down the dark hallway. Was this plan really enough to fool the enemy? As she understood it, the plan has unfolded like this:

Naruto, using information provided by Sasuke, had fought and eventually had to kill the agent Orochimaru had sent to follow Sasuke. This contributed to the appearance that Naruto had discovered Sasuke's plan.

Kankurou had hidden in the bushes of the forest, and, using Sasuke, Naruto, the replacement technique and two transfigured puppets, faked a battle between Sasuke and Naruto, which began with Naruto's explaining to Sasuke that he had discovered his plot and ended with two dead "ninjas."

Shikamaru had emerged on cue, stood over the bodies and signaled ANBU to take them away.

As soon as Naruto and Sasuke had finished their speaking roles in the battle, Sakura had helped them to escape to this hideout, readied their bags and disguised them for their long journey. She had done so bravely without showing emotion, but when she went to announce it to Tsunade, the reality had suddenly hit her and she had begun to cry. She knew, however, that if by some miracle this worked, it would be the ideal solution. Akatsuki would stop searching for Naruto and Sasuke would finally be free of Orochimaru's grasp. Still, it was difficult to accept the loss of two of her most important people.

Shikamaru's eyes widened with surprise when they entered the room. The two people that stood before him were nearly unrecognizable. But for the traveling gear they carried, Shikamaru would not have known who they were. However, the look on his face quickly became a smirk when he realized what had happened.

"Well done, Sakura," Tsunade remarked, her hands on her hips.

Sakura had covered Naruto's whisker-like scars and changed the hair and eye color of both men using the same technique as Tsunade used to make herself appear young. She had also demonstrated the technique and had made them practice it until she was satisfied that they would be able to maintain their new identities. She had given them each plain clothing, suitable for a civilian, to wear, and had warned them to change their habits, advising Sasuke to be more talkative and Naruto to avoid frequenting ramen shops. Where they were going, even Sakura did not know. It was a secret known only to Shikamaru and Tsunade. At least Sakura knew that the deaths had been faked. No one else in the village was to know that. Sakura thought it cruel. However, if all went according to plan, Sasuke and Naruto would live peacefully together, and blend in as much as possible, living the lives of normal civilians, until such time as the threat of Orochimaru and Akatsuki had been completely eradicated, when they would return.

"I guess we're ready, then," Naruto said quietly, and it was clear that he was having second thoughts about leaving his loved ones behind. Sasuke looked him straight in the eye and nodded.

"Bye, Shikamaru," Naruto said, giving him a brief hug.

Shikamaru grunted and gave a quick nod to Sasuke, who remained where he had been standing.

"Tsunade no baa-chan," Naruto stuttered in a voice of stifled tears. He gave her a tight hug, which she broke to kiss him on the forehead.

"I'll miss you. Please take care of yourself," she said softly.

Knowing that her turn was next, Sakura sniffled in an attempt to stop crying. Naruto merely stood and regarded her for a few moments, awe on his face and guilt in his eyes. There was nothing he hated more than hurting Sakura-chan. It was Sakura who pulled him into a hug, causing him to blush. She kissed him on the cheek. Naruto was awestruck for a moment, but eventually did the same.

"I will miss you, Sakura-chan," was all he could manage to say as he pulled away. He tilted his head, signaling to Sasuke that he, too, should say something to Sakura. Sasuke looked reluctant but eventually approached her. Taking her chin in his hand, his kissed her softly on the cheek.

In a voice reminiscent of that scene so many years ago, he said simply, "Sakura…Arigatou."

Taking one last look at the three people gathered, two so precious and one somewhat out of place, the two departed. Sakura bit her lip to keep from sobbing loudly, but the tears continued to roll down her cheeks. Tsunade put her hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. He looked at her curiously.

"Well done," she said and grinned broadly.

Shikamaru just sighed.

The End.


End file.
